Sports fodder for a Friday morning ... The Mountain West Conference seems to be sniffing around Boise State once again. MWC presidents are going to meet for three days starting Sunday to talk about possible expansion and the Denver Post has already reported that Boise could jump to the MWC as early as Monday. What does this all mean for the Nevada Wolf Pack? Well, a lot more Western Athletic Conference football titles, for one thing. And that is certainly not a bad thing. But winning a WAC football title without Boise State to kick around is sort of like screaming in the middle of the forest without anybody around to hear you.
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Does the Wolf Pack want to be in a Boise State-less WAC? It only really matters in football (Boise is irrelevant in most other sports) but Boise State football, without question, is the most high profile program in the WAC. OK, it's the only high profile program in the WAC. But what if Fresno State also leaves the WAC? Don't think for a second that the MWC is above pillaging the WAC and leave it like a 1988 Toyota with three blown tires in the middle of the desert to bake in the sun. It's not like they haven't done it before. The MWC, though, could take Boise, Fresno State and Nevada (keep your fingers crossed, Pack fans) and turn the WAC into a softball, soccer and swimming league. Ivan Maisel of ESPN.com recently wrote that "without Boise State the WAC is the Sun Belt Conference with snow." Is that good or bad? Let's hope we don't find out. If you think the WAC is boring now, wait until Boise State is gone.
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Bud Selig and Major League Baseball need to do the right thing and reverse Jim Joyce's ridiculous blown call at the end of Armando Galarraga's perfect game. This is a no-brainer. The call was obviously wrong. Joyce even admits he blew the call. Just reverse the call, give Galarraga his perfect game and all will be right with the world.
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Should there even be a discussion about whether or not baseball needs instant replay? With instant replay, Joyce's travesty wouldn't have even been an issue. The call would have been reversed and everyone would have gone home happy. After Joyce's mistake, you would think that umpires would be leading the outcry to implement instant replay on a more widespread (not just fair or foul home runs) basis. It would save everyone a lot of grief and embarrassment.
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It's nice to see major league players toning down their walk-off home run celebrations at home plate after Kendry Morales of the Los Angeles Angels was seriously hurt last week. Morales went from a walk-off to a carried-off quicker than you can say Jim Joyce, breaking his leg in the frat boy celebration. The tradition of beating the brains out of a guy who just won a game with a homer has to stop. If it just won a World Series game, fine. But in late May against the Seattle Mariners?
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What's the big deal about playing the Super Bowl on the east coast in early February? So what if it's cold and snowy? It's football, people, not tennis. Crazy weather might be just the ingredient needed to turn a boring Super Bowl into a classic. OK, yes, the Rolling Stones might be a bit too old to play three songs in 25-degree weather at halftime and Janet Jackson might think twice about taking off her top. But the NFL can adjust. "There's only one New York City," New York Giants owner John Mara said when the New York Jets and Giants' new $1.6 billion stadium was awarded the 2014 Super Bowl last week. OK, there's also only one East Rutherford, N.J., but you get the idea.
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Ken Griffey Jr. announced his retirement on Wednesday. Griffey actually retired five years ago but he then went on the longest farewell tour in sports history. How will Griffey be remembered? Well, he was a great talent who never won anything. He was always on the disabled list. He was one of the first guys who liked to wear his hat backwards. And, oh yeah, he never took performance enhancing drugs. Nobody in baseball history got less out of 630 home runs.
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ESPN's Chad Ford, who has had an on-going love affair with Luke Babbitt this spring, now says Babbitt is the 11th best prospect in the June 24 NBA draft. I'd have to agree, though, I'd rate Babbitt in the top 8, maybe top 5. Ford, though, continues to say Babbitt will be a mid to late first-round pick, meaning somewhere around pick 20. I don't know if Babbitt will ever be a superstar in the NBA, but he should have a solid 10 or 15-year career as a starter and sixth man. Nobody in the league will work harder, be more devoted to his craft or have greater knowledge about the game and how to be successful than Babbitt. If Babbitt played for Kentucky or North Carolina in college he'd be a top 5 pick.
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